Courtesy Major League Pickleball
It’s been quite the run for the St. Louis sports scene.
First, St. Louis landed a Major League Soccer franchise. Then, the city scored a new XFL squad. Now, the region has one more team to root for this spring: The St. Louis Shock.
Major League Pickleball—yes, that’s a thing—announced the St. Louis Shock and Orlando Squeeze as the final two teams for the 2023 season on Thursday. The Shock are owned by local philanthropist Richard Chaifetz, whose son, Ross, will manage operations. St. Louis will play in the league’s Premier Level, a platform for the top 48 “most in-demand team players in all of pro pickleball,” MLP says.
The Chaifetz family can count themselves among select company in the MLP ownership role. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tennis champion Naomi Osaka, supermodel Heidi Klum, actress Eva Longoria, and former NBA player Jeremy Lin are all listed as owners in the 24-team league.
“St. Louis is a community that has always been passionate about its sports teams and we are thrilled to bring a Major League Pickleball team to St. Louis,” Richard Chaifetz said in a statement. “Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country, by far, and we look forward to contributing to its growth and the league’s development for years to come.”
The 2023 season begins next week in Mesa, Arizona, where teams will compete in the first tournament of the season January 26–29. Every match of the event will be streamed through MLP’s website, YouTube channel, Facebook, and Twitter. Future events will be held in Florida, California, and Georgia.
St. Louis’ four-person co-ed team features Simone Jardim (Brazil), Allyce Jones (Utah), Jay Devilliers (Kansas), and Erik Bjorn Lange (Oregon). There is at least one Missourian in the Premier Level—Columbia’s Dylan Frazier, who plays for the California Blqk Bears.
No word on whether Chaifetz might seek a trade to bring the (sort of) local product home.
